Although this invention will be described with reference to use by musicians, it will be evident that the invention can be used by anyone who wishes to display papers or a book at a convenient height and orientation.
Musicians use music stands to display two or three sheets of music while the musicians play various instruments. The stands usually allow for height adjustment so that the music can be placed at the most advantageous height as required by the musician, who could be in a sitting or standing position. Consequently, the structures must be designed to support the music at a variety of heights above a supporting surface, and also permit disassembly so that musicians can transport the stands along with musical instruments when travelling from engagement to engagement. Also, the structures cannot be flimsy or easily deformed because they must provide a stable support for the sheet music.
As a result of these design criteria, it would be advantageous if music stands were designed to be collapsible into a more convenient size for travelling. It would be a further advantage if the structure could be collapsed into a self contained package which is easily handled and stored. An example of a structure made with these features in mind is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,719 to the present inventor. In that structure, the parts of the music stand can be partially disassembled and stored partly within one another before entry into a convenient carrying bag. It has been found that while the structure taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,719 is acceptable, it would be preferable to make the music stand totally self contained after it is collapsed. Such a structure must also have sufficient rigidity when assembled to display the sheet music without undue flexibility sufficient to affect the use of the sheet music by the musician.